Industrywide Issues

Forced Pooling | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Regulation | Statewide PA | Taxation

PA Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission Make 96 Recommendations Including Impact Fee & Forced Pooling
July 18, 2011July 18, 2011

In March of this year, newly elected Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett appointed a 30-member Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission with the aim of producing “a comprehensive, strategic proposal for the responsible and environmentally sound development of Marcellus Shale.” The panel wrapped up their work last Friday by voting on a list of recommendations, ultimately approving 96 of them. The final list will be issued in a report which goes to Gov. Corbett on July 22 and is not available at this time.

However, two prominent items from the approved list are being reported by media sources present at the meeting: a new impact fee and forced pooling.

Read More “PA Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission Make 96 Recommendations Including Impact Fee & Forced Pooling”
Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Laser Northeast Gathering | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Statewide PA

PA Utility Commission Reconsiders Decision to Grant Public Utility Status to Pipeline Company
July 18, 2011July 18, 2011

The Pennsylvania Utility Commission (PUC) is reconsidering its decision to grant pipeline company Laser Northeast Gathering status as a public utility with the power of eminent domain (see MDN’s previous coverage of that decision here).

Read More “PA Utility Commission Reconsiders Decision to Grant Public Utility Status to Pipeline Company”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

NYC Opposition to DEC Fracking Rules Continues: Natural Fractures, Brittle Rock, Aging Tunnels…Oh My!
July 15, 2011July 15, 2011

It’s going to be a long summer for both those for and against drilling in the Marcellus Shale in New York State. The state DEC released new draft drilling regulations just last week and already there’s plenty of jockeying going on to either support or oppose the new regulations. A public comment period of 60 days (August & September) will be followed by more tweaking of the rules before a final version is approved by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Even though the new draft rules put the New York City watershed area off limits to drilling, that doesn’t seem to be good enough for some Downstaters:

Read More “NYC Opposition to DEC Fracking Rules Continues: Natural Fractures, Brittle Rock, Aging Tunnels…Oh My!”
Allegheny County | Energy Companies | EQT Corp | Industrywide Issues | NG Vehicles | Pennsylvania

New Compressed Natural Gas Filling Station Opens in Pittsburgh – How Does $1.85 per Gallon (Gas Equivalent) Sound?
July 15, 2011July 15, 2011

Giant Eagle, a grocery and convenience store chain with 222 stores in western PA, Ohio and West Virginia, has just opened the first of three compressed natural gas (CNG) filling stations in the Pittsburgh area. The company is planning to replace its entire truck fleet (over 200 trucks) with CNG trucks in the coming years. The best part: How does paying $1.85 a gasoline-equivalent gallon grab you? Yes, CNG vehicles cost more (and right now only Honda in the U.S. makes one), but as the infrastructure is built, more auto manufacturers are likely to start making CNG vehicles.

Read More “New Compressed Natural Gas Filling Station Opens in Pittsburgh – How Does $1.85 per Gallon (Gas Equivalent) Sound?”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Public Opinion | Statewide NY

New Siena College Poll Shows New Yorkers Evenly Divided on the DEC’s New Hydraulic Fracturing Rules
July 15, 2011July 15, 2011

A new poll just released by Siena College’s Siena Research Institute finds New York residents are pretty evenly split (for and against) the Department of Environmental Conservation’s draft regulations that will allow hydraulic fracturing and drilling in the Marcellus Shale.

Read More “New Siena College Poll Shows New Yorkers Evenly Divided on the DEC’s New Hydraulic Fracturing Rules”
Bradford County | Industrywide Issues | Inergy | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania | Pipelines | Sullivan County

EPA Opposes MARC 1 Shale Gas Pipeline in Northeastern PA
July 15, 2011July 15, 2011

The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is throwing its considerable weight against building a new shale gas pipeline that would cross three counties in northeastern Pennsylvania.

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Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Statewide NY

NY Gov. Cuomo’s So-Called Friends Target His Girlfriend Sandra Lee in Fracking Fight
July 14, 2011July 14, 2011

Some of Andy Cuomo’s “friends” have decided they want to politically rough him up a bit because of his support for lifting the ban on hydraulic fracturing. The ever-loving, open-minded and ultra-tolerant left (sarcasm intended) is bringing out the long knives and going after Gov. Cuomo’s live-in girlfriend and Food Network starlet Sandra Lee, in an attempt to pressure Cuomo to re-think lifting the fracking moratorium.

Read More “NY Gov. Cuomo’s So-Called Friends Target His Girlfriend Sandra Lee in Fracking Fight”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY DEC Commissioner Says No Double Standard in Putting Some Watersheds Off Limits to Gas Drilling and Not Others
July 14, 2011July 14, 2011

The new draft regulations that will finally allow Marcellus Shale drilling in New York State were published less than one week ago, but already Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens is coming under fire for one of the key compromises in the rules. Politicians in New York City were steadfastly opposed to drilling anywhere in the Upstate watershed areas, which is where New York City gets its drinking water from. Mayor Bloomberg and others claimed the risk was simply too high—that if the city’s drinking water supply were ever compromised, a filtration system would need to be installed costing billions. And so to assuage those fears, the DEC has said no drilling in both the NYC and Syracuse watershed areas.

Read More “NY DEC Commissioner Says No Double Standard in Putting Some Watersheds Off Limits to Gas Drilling and Not Others”
Bradford County | Economic Impact | Industrywide Issues | Jobs | Lycoming County | Pennsylvania

Two New Gas Powered Electrical Plants on the Way in PA – $1.6 Billion Investment
July 14, 2011July 14, 2011

Marcellus Shale gas in Pennsylvania is having an effect on electricity generation. Instead of building coal-fired plants to generate electricity, natural gas powered plants are now in the works. Specifically, two new plants will be built in the next few years—one in Lycoming County and another in Bradford County. Not only does it mean a $1.6 billion investment, it also means hundreds of construction jobs, a cleaner way of producing electricity, and ultimately lower electricity costs for 1.4 million PA residents.

Read More “Two New Gas Powered Electrical Plants on the Way in PA – $1.6 Billion Investment”
Broome County | Energy Services | Industrywide Issues | Laser Northeast Gathering | New York | Pipelines

New Shale Gas Pipeline Breaks Ground in Broome County, NY
July 14, 2011July 14, 2011

The new Susquehanna Gathering System natural gas pipeline broke ground on Wednesday in Broome County, NY. The first phase of the pipeline is expected to be done in the next few months and will bring shale gas from northeastern PA to the Millennium Pipeline that cuts across New York State. From the official Laser Northeast press release:

Read More “New Shale Gas Pipeline Breaks Ground in Broome County, NY”
Economic Impact | Housing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Roads | Statewide NY | Trucking

Cornell Student Publishes “Study” Warning Marcellus Drilling in NY Will Impact Tourism in Finger Lakes
July 13, 2011July 13, 2011

Yet another study from Cornell University about the effects of shale gas drilling. The Appalacian Regional Commission awarded a $7,000 grant to Cornell doctoral student Andrew Rumbach to ~~write a term paper~~ author a study on the potential impact of drilling on the tourism industry in the Southern Tier of New York—specifically in the Finger Lakes region of the state. The “study” predictably warns about heavy truck traffic, scenic destruction and the “industrialization” of our little piece of paradise. One of the the biggest threats? Our tourism “brand” will be tarnished.

Read More “Cornell Student Publishes “Study” Warning Marcellus Drilling in NY Will Impact Tourism in Finger Lakes”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Gov. Tomblin Signs Executive Order 4-11 Creating “Temporary” New Marcellus Shale Drilling Rules
July 13, 2011July 13, 2011

Yesterday, West Virginia Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin signed Executive Order 4-11 directing the state Department of Environmental Protection to immediately draft and implement temporary new regulations controlling Marcellus Shale drilling in the state. Temporary in this case means the rules will be in place for up to 15 months—until the WV legislature can craft a set of permanent laws. Below is the press release issued by Gov. Tomblin’s office, along with a full copy of EO 4-11.

Read More “WV Gov. Tomblin Signs Executive Order 4-11 Creating “Temporary” New Marcellus Shale Drilling Rules”
Berry Energy | Energy Companies | Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Statewide WV | West Virginia

Update on Monongahela National Forest Study – an MDN Correction
July 12, 2011July 12, 2011

More details have come to light since MDN first reported on the new study published in the Journal of Environmental Quality about land application of fracking fluids in the Monongahela National Forest (see here). The press release about the published study was issued by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The release did not mention that the land application was authorized by the WV DEP as part of an ongoing drilling operation and not simply an intentional experiment. MDN does not knowingly distort the facts and is happy to “set the record straight” for any errors we publish. In that spirit, we offer this additional information about the 2008 land application incident and resulting published study:

Read More “Update on Monongahela National Forest Study – an MDN Correction”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Regulation | Statewide WV | West Virginia

WV Gov. Tomblin to Unveil New “Emergency” Fracking Rules Today
July 12, 2011July 12, 2011

West Virginia Acting Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin will release new “emergency rules” today at 2 pm that direct the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to tighten controls on Marcellus drilling, in particular hydraulic fracturing.

Read More “WV Gov. Tomblin to Unveil New “Emergency” Fracking Rules Today”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | New York | Regulation | Statewide NY

NY DEC Posts Entire Draft of New Marcellus Shale Drilling Regulations – Download it Here
July 11, 2011July 11, 2011

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) posted the full copy of the draft SGEIS (Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement), otherwise known as the new drilling regulations for Marcellus and other shale gas drilling, last Friday. MDN has not yet had a chance to fully digest the new rules. When we do, we’ll post more about them. In the meantime, you can read the entire 1075 pages for yourself by downloading the file below.

Read More “NY DEC Posts Entire Draft of New Marcellus Shale Drilling Regulations – Download it Here”
Hydraulic Fracturing | Industrywide Issues | Pennsylvania | Statewide PA

Methane Migration in Gas Drilling More Common in Northeast PA
July 11, 2011July 11, 2011

According to a recent article in the Elmira Star-Gazette, drilling for shale gas in northeastern PA is more challenging than other areas of the state because of the geology in the area—a geology that lends itself to methane migration. The methane that migrates does not necessarily come from the Marcellus Shale layer itself, but is often trapped above the Marcellus in limestone and other rock layers.

Read More “Methane Migration in Gas Drilling More Common in Northeast PA”